Badgers overlooked in Big Ten picture

By TONY BARNHART, COX NEWS SERVICE

Published 10:00 pm, Friday, November 10, 2006

ATLANTA -- You'll forgive the Wisconsin Badgers if they're feeling a little overlooked these days. When it comes to the Big Ten, all the buzz is about Ohio State (10-0) and Michigan (10-0) who, if they win today, will play next Saturday for the Big Ten championship and a spot in the BCS title game. The loser probably will go to the Rose Bowl.

But if Wisconsin (9-1, 6-1 Big Ten) wins today at Iowa, the Badgers are on their way to an 11-1 season; they finish at home against lowly Buffalo. It would be just the second Wisconsin team to win 10 games.

The kicker: If Ohio State and Michigan are both in BCS games, Wisconsin gets shut out. Only two teams from any one conference can play in the five BCS bowls.

"We tell our guys to just worry about the things they can control," Bielema said. "I know coaches who get worked up about stuff like this. If you just go through each day and present the opportunity at hand to your players, you'll have more fun."

Wisconsin's only loss came to No. 2 Michigan (27-13) and, because of the rotating Big Ten schedule, the Badgers don't play Ohio State. Wisconsin has lost four consecutive games to Iowa, where Bielema once played and worked.

UPSET ALERT: If Michigan was looking ahead last week, when it needed a goal-line stand to edge Ball State 34-26, what will the No. 2 Wolverines be doing today when they go to Indiana?

Michigan was a five-touchdown favorite last week, but, with the much-anticipated showdown with No. 1 Ohio State looming on Nov. 18, the Wolverines struggled.

Indiana (5-5) had been playing inspired football since coach Terry Hoeppner returned from brain surgery. Then, the Hoosiers were trampled 63-26 last week at Minnesota.

"Hopefully, we'll be able to rebound and play our best football," Hoeppner said.

Indiana enters the game needing one win to become eligible for a bowl for the first time since 1993.

"I think there is going to be a lot of motivation on both sides," said Michigan coach Lloyd Carr, whose team has won 14 in a row over Indiana.

This game will serve as the final dress rehearsal for Michigan wide receiver Mario Manningham, who saw brief action against Ball State after missing three games following minor knee surgery.

How valuable is Manningham? Michigan averaged 33.5 points in the first six games of the season. After he was hurt, the Wolverines put up just 22 a game.

BATON ROUGE MAGIC: It was 1987 and Bill Curry was about to take his first Alabama team to LSU.

"My plan was to get up in front of the team and start talking about the historical significance of Alabama's great rivalry with LSU," said Curry, the Crimson Tide's head coach from 1987-89. "I was into it for a couple of minutes, and I looked back, and one of our big old linemen had raised his hand."

So Curry stopped his impassioned speech and called on the lineman, who said: "Coach -- Tide don't lose at Baton Rouge."

"He was right of course," Curry said. "I didn't need to say anything."

Alabama won that day 22-10, which fell right in the middle of one of the quirkiest streaks in college football. From 1971 to 2000, Alabama won 15 consecutive games against LSU in Baton Rouge. In that same stretch, LSU beat Alabama six times -- all of them in either Birmingham or Tuscaloosa.

LSU ended Alabama's Baton Rouge streak on Nov. 4, 2000, with a 30-28 victory. Then Alabama came right back in 2002 and beat the Tigers 31-0.

If Alabama (6-4) is going to salvage a disappointing season, it needs to recapture that Baton Rouge magic today. LSU (7-2) is coming off a 28-24 win at Tennessee.

IRISH SERVICE STREAK: Since Notre Dame lost to Air Force 20-17 on Oct. 19, 1996, the Fighting Irish have posted 14 wins in a row over the service academies. Notre Dame faces Air Force today, then Army, then the biggie -- at USC on Nov. 25.

"We will not even breathe one word about USC until it gets to that week," Irish coach Charlie Weis said. "Realistically, if we lose to Air Force, Army, think about how much less importance that game will have. You better be worrying about Air Force."

Tennessee coach Phillip Fulmer can attest to that. His team was lucky to beat the Falcons 31-30 on Sept. 9 in Knoxville.

"I don't care who you are," Fulmer said. "If you're not ready to play their option offense, they can give you a lot of trouble."